User blog:Tess the Golden/Apples for Charlie
Author's Note I can't belive I finally get to post this! *eeee* So, hold onto your hats, folks. This is chapter one of my original story ... TALES OF THE FOX PLANET! Prologue Gather round, my children, for I shall tell you a tale. But no, it is not one tale, it is many. Many tales of many people; humans, daagmots, horses. You shall meet new friends, see uncommon sights, perhaps even find a blumento. In tales, anything can happen to you … and these are Tales of the Fox Planet. Chapter 1 Apples for Charlie It was a hot, sunny day, and a horse was out for a walk. Sauntering along the dusty path, he whistled a quiet tune to himself and swung his head from side to side, looking at the view. Not that there was much to see in the desert. Even the sky was clear and bright, with only a hawk circling high in the air. But this did not disturb the horse. It's at times like this, he thought happily, that being a wanderer is really worthwhile. Other times, however, it was not so. Already his day was spoiled by the growling of his stomach. Stretching his neck, he nosed the empty saddlebag on his left side. Knowing the other was also empty, the horse let out a long sigh, followed by a snort. Slowing to a walk, he began to look around for food. Sadly, he had passed through the fruitful land a long time ago. Nothing but dry, dusty desert on either side. Suddenly, the stallion snorted in surprise. There appeared to be an apple tree a ways away from the path. Apples were his favourite! Unknowing of the dangers, he immediately leaped off the path, his strength returned at the sight of food. He hadn't gone very far when the apple tree disappeared. Stopping abruptly, the chestnut's eyes widened. Having never travelled in the desert before, he did not realize it was a mirage. Turning back, his eyes widened still more, for he found that he could not move. It was as if the ground itself had caught hold of him! Suddenly, he realized that he was sinking, slowly, but surely. The stallion tried kicking, bucking, and leaping, but his hooves would not leave the ground. Already, he was up to his fetlocks in the dry earth. Eyes wide, tail clamped tight to his hindquarters, the horse tensed up and began to tremble, ears twitching nervously. There was only one thing left to do. Throwing his head back in a way that would have made him fall on his back if his feet were not now buried in the warm earth halfway up his cannons, he screamed to the hot sky for help that did not come. ><>< If the chestnut wanderer had travelled but a little farther, he would have come to more fertile lands. Soon, he would have seen the large shape of Quinesse Castle rising out of the lush grass and orchards surrounding it, home of Queen Tessa of Tesslantia and Foxine, when she had a mind to stay there. Within the castle, the Queen herself sat at her private table, regaling herself with food and drink. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. “Enter.” A grey-furred, wolf-like creature pushed the door quietly open and padded into the room. She was just about as tall as the Queen, had steel-coloured paws, and walked on two legs. She had steel-coloured hair that reached to her waist in a long braid, steel circles around her bright blue eyes, and a long, steel-tinted muzzle with fangs. It was Tirazen, the daagmot Captain of the Guard. On one front paw she had a hunting glove, and on it sat a magnificent red-tailed hawk. “Ah, Tirazen and … Bittersweet, isn't it?” said the Queen. “Yes, your Highness. I'm Bittersweet,” replied the hawk. She puffed up her feathers in pride as the captain of the guard bowed low. “Proceed.” “Tell the Queen what you saw,” Tirazen told the hawk. “Well, I was flying over the desert, when I saw a horse. He was alone, so, knowing horses are herd animals, I was just circling down to see what he was doing, when all of a sudden he leaped off the path.” The Queen gasped and sat up. “In the middle of the desert!? Doesn't he know anything?” “That's just what I thought to myself, your Highness. So I immediately flew back to the castle.” The Queen was already up and running, Tirazen right behind her. Forgotten, Bittersweet soared out the window and back to the desert. Tessa and Tirazen were already at the stables. Throwing open a gryphon's stall door, Tessa barked, “Raven! Get up! We've got an emergency!” As Tirazen swiftly saddled her own, silent gryphon Startalon, Tessa vaulted onto Raven's back. The coal-black gryphon pounded out of the stables, spread his wings, and took off. As they swiftly gained altitude, Raven turned his head and asked, “Where to?” “The desert! And hurry! Look for a red-tailed hawk!” Tirazen was soon beside them, carrying a shovel, a bucket of water, and two pairs of desert-walkers. With an expert throw, she tossed one pair to the Queen. Just as expertly catching them, Tessa rapidly put them on, not an easy thing to do on the back of a gryphon. Tirazen did the same, and they soared side by side until Raven, with his sharp eyes, called out, “There!” Sure enough, when they came closer the girl and the daagmot could see a faint speck hovering over the desert. Soon they could see Bittersweet's red tail. Raven began a wide circle, Tirazen on Startalon following him. They could only hope that they weren't too late. ><>< The horse was silent now, having called his throat dry. He was now buried in earth up to his belly, and still sinking. Head hanging, he had almost given up hope of ever being rescued, when he thought he felt a drop of rain. He knew enough about deserts to know that it hardly ever rains in them, but he still looked up, hoping to see clouds. Then at least he could get a drink before the ground swallowed him up. He didn't see any clouds, but instead he saw three small black specks circling in the sky. Suddenly, he was doused by a bucket of water. Shaking his head, he began licking himself off, glad to have water, even if he didn't know where it came from. Looking up again, he saw what the specks were: two gryphons and a hawk. Gryphons! What if they ate him!? Crouching down as low as he could, he hoped he wouldn't be seen, not knowing the laws against killing sentient creatures. Closing his eyes, he feared the worst. He could hear the beating of wings now. And … voices? His eyes snapped open. “Hello there, horse! Now just hold still, we'll have you out in a jiffy,” Tirazen reassured him as she handed Tessa the shovel. They began digging as the horse relaxed and closed his eyes again, knowing he was in good hands. He was vaguely aware of voices beside him and the scraping of the shovel. “He's been here for a long time. This is going to be hard.” “Well, we're almost done digging.” “That's not what I meant,” Tessa replied as paws met shovel under the horse's belly. Tirazen passed Tessa the rope and tossed the other end over the chestnut's dusty back. They wrapped the rope around him until there were only two short ends sticking out. These they gave to Raven, who held them in his beak. Mounting, Tessa clucked to Raven and he took off. Straining against the rope, Raven suddenly shot beak-over-tail into the air as the rope snapped. Quickly gaining control of his whirling ascent, Raven swiftly dived back down as Tessa hopped off his back. “See what I mean?” she remarked as she lightly landed on the ground. “But we could …” “Exactly what I was thinking,” interrupted Tirazen. “If he allows it …” Tessa mused. Tirazen was kneeling beside the stallion already. “Hey … um … horse? Our rope just snapped, so … uh …” “Listen,” Tessa broke in. “One of the gryphons is going to have to carry you, so just stay still and nothing will happen.” The horse was too shocked to do anything. Recovering his voice, the startled chestnut began, “But …” However, the Queen, without heeding him, knotted the ends of the rope together before vaulting onto Raven. He leaped into the air and hovered just over the horse, who had just time to gasp before Raven's claws dug into the rope. Heaving upwards, Raven flew heavily into the air, straining on the rope cradle. Tirazen mounted Startalon and followed just under the horse. Before he blacked out, the weak, frightened chestnut gasped, “By the way … my name isn't … 'horse' … I'm … Charlie …” ><>< Soon after, Charlie was lying on a bed of hay in an empty stall in the Royal Stables, after having been washed and had his wounds treated. Raven and Startalon had also been stabled, and Bittersweet had collapsed on her perch as soon as she arrived there. Tessa and Tirazen, having accomplished their goal, returned to the Queen's private chamber. There they dropped on a couch. Looking at each other, the two friends suddenly burst out laughing, though if you had asked them about it, neither could have told you what was so funny. Both were covered in desert dust, and still had their desert-walkers on, which had allowed them to walk on the treacherous desert ground without sinking. The gryphon's large paws did the same for them. After resting for a while, Tirazen got up to leave. “Tirazen?” Tessa called from the couch. “Thank you. You saved Charlie's life.” “I helped.” “Yes. Send him to me when he's recovered, OK?” “Of course, your Highness.” Tirazen bowed low and left the room. “Oh, Tirazen?” “Yes, your Highness?” Tirazen's head appeared again in the doorway. “Be sure to thank Bittersweet. If she hadn't found Charlie, I don't like to think of what would have happened. “Give her this,” she continued, tossing a small package across the room to the Captain of the Guard. Tirazen nodded and left. Padding wearily along to the stables and Bittersweet's perch, she sniffed at the package and smiled. Peppermints were Bittersweet's favourite. ><>< Charlie was on his way again. Whistling, he swung his head, eyeing the orchards on either side of him, but knowing his shiny new saddlebags, a gift from the Queen, were full of everything a horse could wish. He grimaced, however, at the lecture on laws, nature, and the dangers of straying off the path he had endured. He had run away from home young, and so did not know most of these things, but still, no one likes a lecture. However, he was now reinvigorated by his stay at the Stables, and had been sent on his way with a pair of horse-fitted desert-walkers in his packs. Leaving the castle's surroundings behind him, he broke into a trot, flying along effortlessly after the refreshing few days spent in the stables. He finally stopped, tired and hungry, and nosed in his bag until he found what he was looking for. Charlie got his apples! Final Note Finished! Now introducing Philibb, my pride and joy (whom I may have a slight crush on XD), in the next chapter, Black Furred Shadow. TheAuthor Queen of Tesslantia 19:43, July 20, 2016 (UTC) Category:Blog posts Category:Chapters